


Final Space drabbles

by Cartoonygirl



Category: Final Space (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, I make my own canon as you know, Multi, anything and everything goes, doesn't exactly fit canon but whatever, in no order at all, just like friendly fluff, just whatever i'm thinking honestly, some angst? bits of hurt/comfort?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-14 19:33:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14143026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cartoonygirl/pseuds/Cartoonygirl
Summary: A collection of Final Space oneshots and drabbles.





	1. Among The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> All of these were written while listening to this (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVsqX-EPnHNriW7vJKvZE3dke-TTeuQq) playlist called "Final Space Vibes." Check it out if you want! It's just a bunch of songs that make me think of the show.

Gary had become so used to watching the sky at night that he'd almost forgotten there were now two other living beings that would be curious as to why he was leaving the Galaxy One at such a late hour. 

"Business. Stuff. Yes. Very important," He slipped through the middle of Quinn and Avocato and continued on his way to the airlock. He didn't like to admit this tiny, insignificant thing that had become part of his daily routine. 

"Business?" Quinn asked, as she and Avocato, as well as Mooncake, followed Gary towards the airlock. 

"Yes!" Gary exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. He pulled his helmet onto his head. 

"Chookity?" Mooncake asked, looking to Quinn and Avocato for an answer.

"It's okay, Mooncake, Gary's just being a dick," Avocato said, giving the tiny alien an affectionate head pat. Gary took the helmet back off to defend himself.

"I'm not being a dick! I'm just going out for, like, an hour!" He whirled around to face the  _accusers_ , feeling like the character on one of the law shows his mom used to watch.

"Out to do what?" Quinn might as well have handcuffed him to a table and shined a lamp in his face, because this definitely felt like a goddamn interrogation.

"Why do you care so much?" Gary groaned. At this point they were just wasting his time, and though there was nothing he loved more than wasting time, this was not the time. To waste time. He wasn't sure that made sense.

"H.U.E. told us you always came back crying for the first year." Avocato's voice was much to casual for that statement. Gary glared at the air, at H.U.E., the traitor.

"I did tell them that," H.U.E. admitted.

"H.U.E.- We will talk about that later," Gary sighed. "And anyways, so? I cried! People cry! It's a normal human thing!"

"If it's normal, why won't you talk about it?" Quinn asked, the expression on her face the epitome of  _checkmate_.

"You want me to talk about it? Fine! I go up there as something to keep me from going completely insane for five years! As a reminder of my life back home and how much I've gone and fucked that up! Because I used to watch the stars with my dad! Is that good enough for you?" Quinn and Avocato both backed up, a bit shocked by the outburst.

Mooncake was the first to notice that Gary had started to cry. Tiny teardrops that he was trying to hide by looking down at the ground. Mooncake nudged Quinn and Avocato like,  _hey, the human is crying_ , before going to comfort Gary.

"I'm fine, Mooncake, I'm fine," Gary sniffled, wrapping his arms around Mooncake. He then felt two more pairs of arms wrapping around him. "Uh, is this a group hug?" He asked.

"Yes," Quinn and Avocato said in unison. 

"You have no idea how happy this makes me," Gary said, grinning. 

"Sorry for interrogating you," Quinn said. "Old habits die hard." Gary shrugged.

"Hey, I probably would have done the same thing." 


	2. Hide and Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 6!

If you asked Quinn Airgone what she thought her life would be like, her answer would be totally different from what it used to be. 

Before the Infinity Guard was corrupt, before she went rogue, she thought she'd always work in the Infinity Guard. She didn't have high expectations (always the realist), but she wished that she could be a leader.

After she met Gary (again), after she began living on the Galaxy One, she thought she'd stay like that forever. Working with Gary and Avocato and Mooncake to save the Earth, maybe gaining a larger crew someday.

Some dreams are meant to be kept. Some are meant to be broken.

Now Quinn was lost, totally and completely. She was floating in space, like she was wandering aimlessly around a library until a title stuck in her mind. 

And then there was the matter of this child. Avocato's death had left her and Gary to take care of his... maybe thirteen year old son? Neither of them were really prepared for that. Quinn took things to seriously, and Gary didn't take things seriously enough.

They needed to work out a compromise somewhere. A middle ground.

"Hey. Have you seen Little Cato?" Gary asked, running into the doorway of her room. 

"No. Why?" She feared the worst, which in her mind was Gary leaving the airlock open and Little Cato would be _whooshed_ outside into space.

"We're playing hide and seek. I was hoping to cheat."

"Hide and seek? At a time like this?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Quinn crossed her arms. "Little Cato's only parent just died. Shouldn't we be helping him recover?"

"Yeah." Gary shuffled nervously. "But, I think it's best to take his mind off stuff." Quieter, he added, "He's just a kid, Quinn. The less he thinks about it, the better."

Normally Quinn would insult Gary's judgement. But he seemed to be serious about this. And he wasn't wrong, she supposed, just unorthodox. _Very_ unorthodox.

She didn't love to be unorthodox. She favored her schedules and her plans, things that were set in stone and easy to follow through. She lived for an organized idea, something that was daring and brave, but all thought out.

Trying something new... it scared her. But she was probably going to be scared often around Gary. What was the harm in getting used to it?

"So," She began. "Room for one more in that game?


	3. Crash Landing

Gary wouldn't say he had  _crashed_ the Galaxy One. Just caused an incredibly rough landing. 

Avocato had some other opinions.

"Gary. WHERE THE HELL DID YOU CRASH US?" He yelled, storming into the cockpit.

"Uhhhh, hard to say. Mooncake?" Gary was squinting into the darkness outside the window. Nothing seemed to be happening.

"Chookity?" Mooncake was confused. 

"We have no idea," Gary said, speaking for both him and Mooncake. Avocato sighed. 

"H.U.E.?" He asked, looking to the ceiling and waiting for the AI to answer.

"Processing... I don't know." 

"You have got to be kidding me!" Avocato put his head in his hands. Gary heard a muffled groan. 

"How long will it take to fix the ship?" Gary asked, already grabbing the box of "tools" he kept for emergencies. 

"Two hours for a normal person. Probably five for you," H.U.E. answered, prompting another, louder groan from Avocato. Gary was sure that if H.U.E. could glare, he would, just from that tone of voice.

"Your confidence is astounding," Gary replied sarcastically. "I'll be back in  _two hours_." With that, he dramatically left the ship. Mooncake followed, slightly concerned.

Avocato sighed, taking his head out of his hands. "He's going to get himself killed."

"There is an 82% chance of that," H.U.E. added. Avocato waited for something to follow that, and when nothing did, he followed outside where Gary and Mooncake had gone.

* * *

 

"Well, this sucks," Gary said, studying the hull of the Galaxy One. It was dented, cracked, and in a few places, burnt. Gary pulled out the duct tape.

"Duct tape? Really?" Avocato said, coming outside. 

"H.U.E. said it was the only tool I wasn't capable of killing myself with," Gary casually replied. "It should do for this."

"Do you even have enough tape?"

"Well, there's seven rolls in this box, and H.U.E. has who knows how many back onboard." Gary pulled a piece of tape and stuck it over a crack in the glass. He put a few more pieces over it for safety reasons.

"We're going to die," Avocato sighed. He pulled a roll of duct tape out of the box and got to working on the dents.

The pair worked in silence for a few minutes.

"So," Gary finally said. "Is this planet quiet, or is it just me?"

"It's just you," Avocato replied. Avocato and Gary had different opinions on sound. Gary liked it when things were loud. He blasted the radio over the ship's speakers at random times of the day, driving Avocato crazy. Avocato liked quiet, the silence of focusing. He was usually the one to turn off the radio and tell Gary to go to sleep, it's 3 in the morning, unless H.U.E. beat him to it.

It kind of reminded him of his son.

He got the thought out of his head. Thinking about Little Cato only made him more upset.

* * *

 

After two hours, the ship was fixed. 

"I told you we could do it in two hours, H.U.E.!" Gary said, reentering the Galaxy One. 

"You had Avocato's help," The AI pointed out. 

"Whatever! Can we get back in the... space air, now?" Gary said defensively. In reply, the ship lifted into the "space air" and began back on its original course.

"You know what, why don't I drive this time?" Avocato offered. "For both our sakes."

Gary reluctantly agreed.

The ship didn't crash again.


	4. Out of Order

Of course Gary's arm would break down and just go limp at the worst time. And the worst time happened to be  _in the middle of space_.

He was out fixing the satellites, as it was still his job and H.U.E. was threatening to extend his sentence another two weeks. He was halfway between satellites when his arm started to spark. He let out a fearful yelp, trying to keep the sparks as far away as possible, sending him twisting in the atmosphere.

He attempted to move his arm. Absolutely nothing happened. He grabbed his arm inspected it. The only thing it said through the visor was "out of order."

And then the visor shut down too. 

"Guys!" Gary shouted. The coms were connected to the visor, and now they were offline. " _Guys!"_

No reply. Just silence. 

He looked back to the Galaxy One- it seemed so far away now that he couldn't get there- and waved his good arm, flailing his legs, trying to communicate without words that something was very, very, wrong. 

Avocato, Quinn, and Mooncake were onboard. Chances were one of them would see him. They had to.

After waiting a few minutes to see if anything would happen, Gary grew tired and decided to take stock. 

The nearest satellite, number 142, was about 10 feet away. If he could just make it there, he could send a distress message to the Galaxy One.

Kicking his legs, he tried to "swim" to the satellite. He didn't have enough force to do so.

He checked the tools he had with him. Duct tape. Right. That was no help. More duct tape.

"I have to remind H.U.E. to give me more supplies," Gary muttered, checking the bag and hoping to find any  _secret supplies_.

It took him a second to realize that the secret supply  _was_ the bag. It was attached by a rope. If he could make a lasso and get it to wrap around a piece of the satellite...

He pulled apart the bag, letting the duct tape float away. There was more tape and other bags on the Galaxy One, anyways. Then he studied the rope. It was about five feet long. Not enough.

He attached the fabric, which only added another three feet. 

It was then that Gary realized a second problem. Oxygen. There wasn't going to be enough to last him for more than five minutes. 

 _Because this couldn't get worse_ , he thought.

It didn't, thankfully. But things were already bad enough. 

Gary took the rope and the fabric. He needed something that was at least two feet long if he wanted a chance of getting to the satellite.

But he didn't  _have_ anything else. Except for...

He looked down at his arm.

And had a terrible, terrible idea.

With only a second of thought, he detached the arm and tied the fabric to it. Now it could reach the satellite. Hopefully.

Pulling his good arm back, he flung the end of the rope-fabric-arm contraption forwards.

It hooked around an edge of the satellite.

"YES!" Gary cheered, relief flooding through him. He pulled himself to the satellite, wrenching the cover off of the control panel (which was hard to do with only one arm) and typed in a quick message. 

"POWER DOWN. STUCK. HELP. SAT 142." He sent it, praying that Quinn and Avocato would get it before he ran out of air. He was already feeling short of breath.

He counted backwards from 100. It had always helped him calm down as a kid. 100. 99. 98. 97. 96.

The Galaxy One had started moving. Or maybe he was hallucinating. It was hard to tell. 

91\. 90. 89.

It was definitely moving, he was sure. It was coming towards him.

85\. 84. 83.

He was out of oxygen. _That_ , he thought,  _is really fucking bad._

Inside the ship's bay, he saw two figures. 

He didn't see if the Galaxy One got there or not, as by that time everything was black.

* * *

 

"Gary. _Gary_."

Gary's eyes opened. He wasn't on satellite 142 anymore. He was in the Galaxy One's sick bay. Quinn, Avocato, and Mooncake were standing over him, worry on their faces.

"Why am I on the floor?" He asked, his head spinning. Whether that was their doing or his he wasn't sure. 

"You fell when we were reattaching your arm," Avocato said, offering his hand to help Gary up. Gary stumbled to his feet. Mooncake squished himself against Gary's face, and Gary smiled.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked. "Do you know why everything shut down?"

Gary shrugged. "It just did."

"That's worrying," Avocato said. "You realize that, right?"

"Yes, _I_ _know_. I'm the one who almost died, remember?"

Avocato had to smile at that. 

"We're just glad you're okay," Quinn said. 

"Thanks for saving me," Gary replied.

"Hey, don't give us all the credit," Avocato pointed out. "You managed to get yourself to the satellite."

Gary thought this over. Avocato was right, he guessed. 

He had saved himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in a row! I had a lot to write, I guess.


	5. Sick Day

In all of Gary's five years on the Galaxy One, H.U.E. had not once malfunctioned. So why he was suddenly not responding to anyone or anything was alarming, to say the least.

"H.U.E., are you there?" Gary asked the ceiling. The ceiling didn't reply. Neither did H.U.E.

"He's not responding to me, either," said Avocato, who had just entered the cockpit. "It's weird."

"Maybe he's making another bad joke."

"H.U.E.? Unlikely."

"Hey, he once joked that my brain was gonna explode. Do not underestimate him." Gary glared at the ceiling. "I'm still mad about that, by the way!"

H.U.E. was still silent. Gary was now _certain_ that something was wrong with the AI. "Should I go down and check on him?" He asked Avocato. The ventrexian shrugged. 

"What's the harm?" He said, checking on some of the systems. "Nothing else in here is broken. And the sames were fine."

"I'll be back. Probably," Gary sighed, going down into the control center. If this was H.U.E.'s idea of a joke, it wasn't very funny. He knew the AI's sense of humot was fucked up, but this was taking it a step too far. What if something happened?

"H.U.E.!" Gary yelled as he entered the control center. "Are you in here?" That was a stupid question, he realized. H.U.E. was everywhere. Except that now he wasn't anywhere.

Gary walked over to H.U.E.'s main control panel. It all seemed to be in working order, though if he was being honest, Gary had no idea what working order looked like.

He opened H.U.E.'s status screen. There was a small, barely noticeable blemish on the screen. Like somebody had just tapped a pixel out of existance. Gary leaned to get a better look. 

Where the blue pixel was missing, there was a red one instead. Gary watched in fascination as the pixel next to it turned red. And the ones around them. Until H.U.E.'s entire screen was red.

"That can't be good," Gary mumbled.

Then the control panel started smoking.

"That's also not good!" Gary pulled the panel cover off to reveal a mess of wires. He had no idea how any of them worked. "AVOCATO!" He called. Avocato appeared moments later.

"What did you do?" Avocato cried, running to inspect the wiring. "Did you touch anything?"

"No! Well, I opened H.U.E.'s status screen. And then it turned red," Gary summarized, worriedly staring over Avocato's shoulder.

"None of the wires are out of place. It must be something in the coding. Like... a virus." Avocato began to search through H.U.E.'s data. "There!" He pointed at a note. H.U.E. was accessed about two hours ago, and a virus was placed in his system.

"How do we get rid of the virus?" Gary asked. "And who placed the virus? Us and Mooncake are the only ones on the Galaxy One."

"Well, we get rid of the virus by..." Avocato deleted the virus from the system. H.U.E.'s status screen turned back to blue.

"I've been shut down for two hours," H.U.E. stated as soon as he was back online.

"We noticed," Gary quipped.

"Somebody installed a virus in your system," Avocato said. "Do you remember who?"

"No." H.U.E.'s answers were very matter-of-fact.

"That's just great!" Gary flung his arms into the air exasperatedly. 

"I'm sure it's fine," Avocato said, typing quickly. "I'll turn on security access. Nobody should be able to install anything without the password."

"What's the password?" Gary asked.

Avocato snorted. "Like I'd ever tell you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all the terminology in here? total bullshit, so if it's wrong, I know


	6. Diamond in the Rough

Why Gary had taken the job at the time, he'd never know. But now he was glad he had.

It was simple- nab the diamond, replace it with the fake, and get the hell out of dodge. Easiest job he'd ever take, he was sure. He had become a good forger in his time on the streets. 

The only problem was the bosses- Derek and Dr. Bluesteen. They were high-paying, sure, but also suspicious. Gary knew a few guys who'd been jailed doing their work. He trusted them about as far as he could throw them and, honestly, he wasn't strong to throw them very far.

But money was money and a job was a job.

Stealing the diamond, that was the easy part. Its case wasn't even  _covered_ , for god's sake, and he'd managed to hack the security system in less than a minute.

 _This museum is shit_ , Gary reassured himself. T _hey're asking to be robbed._ He had his doubts about every job, sure, but stealing from the same museum he used to visit with his dad seemed... wrong. But there was no time for this now.

The diamond was taken, the fake was put in its place, and he was about to be out of there.

And then the alarms were blaring. Red flashed across the room, and Gary knew immediately what had happened.

He'd been set up.

"Shit!" He heard sirens outside the museum, and he ran to the open window. In a swift motion, he was gone from the display room and back in the city alley. 

There, in front of him, were Dr. Bluesteen and Derek. With a gun pointed at his head.

"Let's- Let's just talk about this," Gary stammered, slipping the diamond into his pocket. He seriously wished he had thought to bring a gun, but of course, he'd underestimated the... _severity_ of his situation.

"Give us the diamond." Derek's voice was harsh, and Gary stepped backwards almost automatically. " _Now."_

Gary reluctantly pulled the diamond out of his pocket and handed it to Derek. He smiled greedily. 

"I really am sorry about this," Dr. Bluesteen said. 

His finger slipped onto the trigger.

Gary ducked, starting a run out the alley and onto the street. A shot hit the wall where he'd just been standing.

"Damn it-" Dr. Bluesteen looked to where Gary ran to.

"Damn it is right," Derek said, inspecting the diamond. "This is a fucking fake."

They ran after Gary, who was now holding the real diamond tightly in his fist. There was a bar near here, he knew it. If he could get there without getting shot first, he could hide.  _And_ he'd keep the diamond as an added bonus.

Shots passed his head, and he swore.

He turned the corner. There it was, in front of him.

"Give us what's ours, Gary!" More shots, more yelling. 

"Well, technically... It's mine, Dr. Bluesteen, and Derek!" Gary slid into the alley. The door was right there, so close-

He slammed it open and slipped out of the window's view. 

Dr. Bluesteen and Derek ran right by. Gary let out a sigh of relief.

And there in front of him was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.


	7. Go Fish

Avocato could almost find it funny how incredibly different he and Gary are. He's been on the Galaxy One for maybe half a day, and his "captor" was already driving him insane. What kind of person can possibly enjoy playing this much cards? 

"Alright... got any sixes?" Gary asks, sizing up Avocato from behind his cards. The Ventrexian rolls his eyes, his cards still haphazardly spilled out on the table in front of him. 

"I don't know. Do I?" He deadpans, glaring at Gary, who lifts up the cards. 

"No," Gary says, letting them fall back onto the table. He pulls a card. "Your turn."

"Got any sixes?" Avocato asks, watching Mooncake as he tumbles around the ship without care. How could such a dangerous creature be so... cute?

"You can't ask me for sixes!" Gary cries, apparently outraged by this.

"I can do what I want." Avocato attempts for a fifth time to pick the lock on the cuffs. They still don't budge. 

"The prisoner is trying to escape," H.U.E. tells Gary. The cuffs hit Avocato with a small shock. 

"Hey!" Avocato yells, hitting the table. The cards fly across it and onto the floor. Avocato would shut that AI down if he wasn't handcuffed. The damn thing kept doing that. It almost seemed to enjoy it.

"H.U.E.!" Gary reprimands. "We do not shock our guests!"

"I'm not your guest," Avocato says, and at the same time H.U.E. says "He's not our guest."

Gary glares at Avocato, and then the ceiling. Mooncake notices his agitation and joins him at the table, peering down at Avocato. Avocato growls, trying to be menacing. It seems to work, as the alien retreats back to Gary's side of the table. Gary pets him affectionately. Avocato shakes his head.

"You're in for a real shock," He laughs. "That thing is  _not_ your friend."

"You're right," Gary says, and for a second Mooncake looks hurt. "He's my best friend." Mooncake smiles and squishes himself against Gary's cheek. Avocato sighs.

"I'm trying to help you," Avocato says, though he and Gary both know that he really only wants to help himself. The faster he gets off the Galaxy One, the faster he can find his son. 

"Pshaw." Gary picks Avocato's cards off the floor and puts them back in front of the Ventrexian. "Whose turn was it?"

"Yours," Avocato says. He realizes with a start that he actually just _helped_ to move the game along, and he curses himself mentally.

"Cool! Got any jokers?"

"Who plays go fish with _jokers?"_

"Are you not supposed to?"

"No."

"Huh," Gary says, placing his cards face-down on the table. "I never actually played before."

"Really? Couldn't tell," Avocato says, genuinely serious. "Why not?"

"You know," Gary says, though he knows full well Avocato doesn't. "There's nobody else to play with here on the Galaxy One. And back on Earth I was always busy-"

"Doing what? Stalking girls online?" Avocato jokes, though he honestly wouldn't put it past Gary. 

"Robbing people. But also that," Gary admits, and Mooncake seems scandalized. "Don't worry," Gary reassures him. "I've changed." Mooncake smiles.

"Uh huh. How much did you manage to steal without getting caught?" Avocato figures it isn't much. The guy's scrawny at best, and seems to have some... issues with taking things seriously.

"50,000."

Avocato's impressed, though he'd never admit it. "Pretty good."

"And you? You're a bounty hunter, right? How many people have you killed?" Gary asks, morbidly curious about this.

"Eh... too many to count," Avocato says, dodging the question.

"Sure," Gary snorts. "Your turn." He picks another card off the pile.

"What cards do I have?" Avocato asks. Gary flips them over so he can see them. "Okay. Got any... queens?"

"Damn it!" Gary hands over two queens, placing them on top of Avocato's singular queen. Avocato laughs, actually starting to enjoy himself. "Got any..." He not-so-subtly checks the cards that Avocato has. 

"Cheating! That is cheating!" Avocato exclaims, trying to hide his cards without using his hands. He settles for face-planting on the table. "This is painful." His voice is muffled.

"Got any aces?" Gary asks, already having spotted the card in Avocato's deck.

"You cheated!" Avocato complains, his face still pushed up against the table. He sits back up, a card sticking to his forehead. He blows it off, annoyed. "That's unfair. You're unfair. This game is rigged."

"That's how it is on this bitch of an Earth," Gary gloats, claiming Avocato's ace. 

"We aren't even  _on_ Earth."

"That's how it is on this bitch of a... prison... spaceship. It doesn't have the same ring to it!"

"I don't know, I kind of like it. My turn." Avocato studies his cards. "Got any fives?" 

Gary smiles.

"Go fish!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing helps people bond more than playing 9 hours of cards.


	8. Bug Collection

When he was a kid, Gary had been fascinated by bugs.

He collected them in jars until the inevitable day they'd die, and he'd always break down crying. His dad would have to comfort him, telling him that everything dies at some point. It's just a part of life.

Gary buried them all. His backyard become a tiny bug graveyard. He and his dad would go outside sometimes and sit with the "bug ghosts."

Now that Gary was older, he'd lost the interest. But exploring space and meeting different, stranger bug species, had reactivated the love one thousand times over.

"What's this one called?" Gary asked, staring at what looked like a strange mix between a beetle and a cow. He found it adorable.

"That's called a Vescara," Avocato said, continuing through the planet's thick wilderness. "Wait. Did you touch it?"

"Yeah, why?" Gary had pet the small creature on its head, as he used to.

"Gary, those things are venomous by touch!" Avocato exclaimed. Mooncake gasped.

"What?" Gary began to shake his hand violently, as though the venom would come flying off. Avocato started laughing. "WHAT IS SO FUNNY ABOUT MY BEING POISONED?"

"I was _joking_ ," Avocato explained. Gary stopped shaking his hand, fuming. Mooncake glared at Avocato. "Vescaras are harmless unless they bite you."

"Uh, okay, so what, uh, _qualifies_ as a bite? Because, well, the funny thing is..." Avocato stopped, turning around. Mooncake gasped again.

"You didn't."

"I totally did."

"Gary!" Avocato rushed over. "Where'd it bite you?" 

"My hand," Gary held it out for Avocato to see, his voice shaking with worry. "Am I gonna die?" 

"Uh..." Avocato inspected the bite closely. Mooncake looked over his shoulder worriedly. "It doesn't look _too_ deep. One of the plants near here _could_ be the antidote. The Vescaras don't travel far from the antidote. It's what they eat," Avocato explained, searching the surrounding forest.

"What does the antidote look like?" Gary asked, rifling through the leaves.

"It's got sharp blue leaves, and four leaves to a stalk. If there are berries growing from it, it's the wrong plant." Avocato turned back to look at Gary. "You shouldn't move around too much. The venom might spread faster. And it makes people loopy."

"I don't feel loopy."

"Yet. Sit."

Mooncake gently pushed him, and Gary reluctantly sat down on a rock. He studied the bite on his finger.

"I feel fine," He argued.

"But you're not!" Avocato's voice floated back from inside the trees. Every time it seemed like he'd found the plant, it had berries attached to it. Or there were three leaves. Or it wasn't blue. 

"Avocato?" Gary said.

"What?"

"Has Mooncake always had a twin?" Avocato groaned, frustrated with the search and with Gary. He just _had_ to touch all these "cute" unfamiliar lifeforms. It was a miracle he'd stayed alive as long as he had.

"Mooncake, who's your friend?" Mooncake watched as Gary pointed to the empty air next to him. He was concerned.

"Chookity!" Mooncake yelled to Avocato.

"I'm working on it!" Avocato shouted. He spotted a flash of blue between two trees and moved forwards. 

The plant was blue. Four leaves. And... no berries.

"GOT IT!" Avocato exclaimed, grabbing a leaf from the stalk and exiting back to Gary was sitting. Well, laying. He looked like a ragdoll who couldn't sit up straight due to scoliosis. 

"Sit up and eat this," Avocato commanded, handing the leaf to Gary.

"But it looks so grosssssss..." Gary moaned.

"Eat it or you'll die." Gary stuffed the leaf into his mouth. Avocato was glad his incentive worked. If it hadn't, it would have been concerning for numerous reasons. "Feeling better?"

"I can't tell," Gary said. He wasn't slurring his words anymore, and Avocato figured that was a good sign. 

"You'll live. Come on," Avocato said, pulling Gary to his feet. "Let's keep going." After a second he added, "And don't touch anything."

"Obviously, I won't."

"You  _just_ touched something."

"I won't after that."


	9. A New Family

Over the past five years, H.U.E. had grown rather fond of Gary. At first, the AI had only been annoyed with Gary's constant questioning, moping, and complaining, but after some time had passed, H.U.E. was used to it. 

"H.U.E., I'm bored," Gary said, sitting upside-down on one of the benches. 

"Maybe you should consider reading. We have a dictionary and an encyclopedia onboard the ship." H.U.E. didn't have much entertainment to offer. The Galaxy One was built to make prisoners really think about what they'd done, and so there wasn't much in terms of entertainment.

"An _encyclopedia?_ Seriously? Don't you have any, like, comics?" Gary complained. 

"No."

"What about movies?"

"No."

"Music?"

"I can access a few radio stations." Gary sat up. 

"What? And you _never_ told me this?" He cried. "H.U.E.! Play the radio!" Static began to blare over the speakers. Gary covered his ears. "What the hell, H.U.E.?"

"This is supposed to be the weather. I don't believe we're close enough to the signal," H.U.E. explained. "Would you like to hear the news?"

"If it isn't static, yes!" H.U.E. switched the channel. There was no static, and although the sound was fuzzy, Gary could understand what the host was saying. He considered this an improvement.

"-The tenth anniversary of pilot John Goodspeed's death. We all remember the shocking moment-"

"H.U.E., turn off the radio." Gary voice was quieter than usual. "I forgot. How could I forget?" H.U.E. noticed Gary displaying an emotion he'd never seen the human have before.

Grief.

"I can access two other news stations," H.U.E. said. 

"No," Gary mumbled. He was splayed out across the bench. "It's fine."

H.U.E. was certain something was wrong. A quick search of his database provided the information he needed- Gary's father was John Goodspeed.

"Losing a family member can be difficult," H.U.E. said.

"What would you know about it? You're an AI." Gary sounded harsher than he meant to. "I- Sorry."

"I know a lot of things, Gary," H.U.E. said. "But you're correct. I have never experienced loss before." The AI felt that this was the moment to be quiet and let Gary have his time.

"H.U.E.?"

"Yes, Gary?"

"Do robots have families?"

"No, Gary."

There was a pause.

"H.U.E.?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want a family?"

"I don't know. It isn't _possible_ for me to have one." H.U.E. wondered if Gary really understood that robots couldn't physically reproduce. 

"You could, though. Neither of us have family." Gary curled into a ball. "Anymore," he amended. "You could be my family. If you wanted."

H.U.E. was programmed to know what to say in every possible situation. But at this moment, he was truly at a loss for words. The programmers obviously hadn't counted on a prisoner to ask that type of a question.

"I would like that," H.U.E. finally replied. He waited a second for Gary to reply. All he heard was the muffled sound of sobbing. "Gary?"

"I really miss my parents." Gary brushed his tears away. "So... Thanks. For being my family."

"Thank you for being mine," H.U.E. said. "it's nice."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started to cry writing this. I think that speaks for my ability to write angst.


	10. Wish

Avocato was a bit of an insomniac. 

It wasn't that he couldn't get himself to sleep, it was that every time he closed his eyes he saw his son's face. Every dream he had was the same night, again and again, until he woke up in a cold sweat with a feeling of wrongness in his gut.

So he spent most nights in the commissary, alone, watching the stars. It was better than having to suffer just to sleep.

But tonight, something was different, because he was thinking about Little Cato anyways. Some of Gary's little idiosyncrasies reminded Avocato of his son, and it just ignoring it wasn't working. 

"Avocato?" Avocato jumped at the sound. Gary had entered the room without him even noticing, holding a cup of coffee. 

"What are you doing up so late?" Avocato asked. 

"Couldn't get back to sleep," Gary said, joining Avocato at the window. "Nice night." He took a sip from the mug. Avocato nodded, distracted. "What are  _you_ doing up so late?" Gary asked.

"Same as you," Avocato said. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. He didn't feel like telling Gary all of his dark secrets tonight, anyways.

"Nightmares?" Gary asked. 

"Uh," Avocato said awkwardly. "Sort of."

"Me too." Gary nodded.

They stood at the window for a moment, watching in companionable silence. Something shining and fast streaked by in the sky.

"A shooting star." Gary smiled wistfully. "My dad used to always tell me to wish on those." The memory faded into sadness.

"Why?" Avocato asked. "It's not like it could grant it."

"True," Gary said, shrugging. "But it's kind of a hopeful thing, you know?"

"Not really," Avocato said. Humans were hopeful people, but this far out? Hope was practically dead. 

"It's like-" Gary struggled for how to explain it. "There's something about having a thing to attach your hopes to. When things are out of your control, it's nice to think that somebody else is handling it for you."

Avocato half-smiled. It was the kind of thing Little Cato would say. He's so full of hope and happiness, or at least he was. Avocato wants to see him again, so, so much.

 _What's the harm in wishing_ _?_ He thinks, asking a silent prayer of the shooting star. Just let him see his son again. That's all he wants.

"So?" Gary asked. "What'd you wish for?" 

"I can't tell you," Avocato said. "If I do, it won't come true."

"Oh, fine. I see how it is," Gary said.

"What'd you wish for?"

"I don't know," Gary said. "I'm pretty content for the moment. Maybe to stop being in prison, that'd be nice?" He laughs at his joke, but even he knows it's forced. "Sometimes, wishing can't help."

"Yeah, well," Avocato said. "It's nice to think that it can." Gary laughs, for real this time. The pain in Avocato's chest loosens. 

Maybe he actually  _will_ be able to sleep tonight.


	11. Today

When Little Cato still lived with his father, before everything with the Lord Commander and the Galaxy One happened, he’d had happy memories. 

Specifically, he remembered his 10th birthday. Because it was the most _perfect_ day he could remember. 

“Happy birthday!” Avocato had come the room holding out a small cupcake to a very confused, but excited, Little Cato. 

“It’s almost 10:00. What about school?” He tried to sound responsible and concerned, but he only sounded joyful. 

“You’re skipping! It’s your birthday. We can do whatever you want,” Avocato said. He hid the worry in his voice at the warning he’d recieved this morning. He wasn’t supposed to take any days off. The Lord Commander was more important. 

But today, his son was. In every way, shape, and form. 

“Anything?” Little Cato asked, and Avocato swore he was about to suggest homicide. 

“Maybe not _everything_ ,” he quickly corrected. Little Cato frowned. _Definitely homicide_ , Avocato thought. _He takes after me_. This thought came with both pride and extreme stress at the image of Little Cato’s teenage years. 

“Can we... go to the arcade?” Little Cato asked. He loved to play video games, any and all types, but going to the arcade was almost never an option. It was usually met with a frown and a _not today, Little Cato_. 

But today, Avocato smiled. “We can _definitely_ go to the arcade.”

The arcade was most empty, save for a couple and a group of children. The unenthusiastic employees and lackluster games didn’t bother Little Cato, though. They _excited_ him. He was doing something new for once. 

“Which game first?” Avocato asked, smiling at the starstruck expression on his son’s face. 

“That one!” Little Cato exclaimed, pointing to a game called _StarSpeeder_. It was a virtual reality racing game. Not top notch technology, but Little Cato didn’t seem to care. 

Avocato slipped two tokens into the machine. Then he and Little Cato were ready to race. 

Little Cato didn’t really remember the details of the games anymore. Just that he won all of them. His dad always beat him, being the better gamer of the two. 

But today, Avocato let Little Cato win every round. Little Cato knew this. And he honestly didn’t care because he was happy and his dad was happy and they were happy. 

They got home late- after the arcade they went out to dinner, and then they just drove around for a while and peoplewatched. It was the most fun Little Cato had ever had. 

But as he fell asleep he heard the yelling- a higher up reprimanding his father, telling him that if he ever missed work again there would be dire consequences. 

Avocato came up a few minutes later, knowing that Little Cato was awake. He sat down on the edge of the bed. 

“Dad,” Little Cato asked, nervousness shaking his voice, “is the Lord Commander going to take me away? Or... kill you?”

Little Cato remembered the pained expression on his father’s face. He knew he was too young to worry about it. But he couldn’t help it. 

“No,” Avocato said softly. Little Cato was filled with relief. His father never lied to him. “The Lord Commander isn’t ever going to take you away from me. _Or_ kill me.”

But today, his father had lied. 


	12. Drunk

Around Avocato, Gary feels drunk. He can't walk straight, he's seeing stars, all the things he wants to say come out wrong. Nothing goes _right_.

"Morning, Gary," Avocato will say, not even looking up from whatever he's doing, and Gary will trip over his own feet trying to get to the table like a  _normal goddamn person_. Even H.U.E. notices. 

"Gary. Are you feeling alright?" He'll ask, and Gary will brush it off and try to hide the redness on his cheeks. Avocato doesn't notice. Avocato never notices. 

Or they'll be in the middle of something important and Gary will almost blow the mission because he can't see anything but Avocato, sitting in front of him, intensely focused, and his brain will just melt. 

Quinn has noticed. Of course. _She always notices everything_ , Gary thinks. Because it's true. Gary, on the other hand, doesn't notice anything. He wouldn't notice if Avocato just decided to up and kiss him.

Not that he daydreams about that. Because he doesn't.

But his penchant for ignorance can lead him into some difficult situations. Like now, looking at Avocato, the way he smirks when he says something he finds funny, the way he laughs at Gary- as he walks right into Quinn, trips over  _her_ feet, and lands flat on his face in the commissary doorway.

"Alright, that's enough!" Quinn picks him up off the ground- because she's strong enough to do that- and pulls him out of the commissary, down the hall, and into an unsuspecting broom closet. 

"Is there a reason you've brought us here, just the two of us?" Gary flirts. He hasn't fallen out of love with Quinn, not really, but he's focusing more of his energy on being in love with Avocato at the moment.

Quinn just scoffs. "We're here because of your huge gay crush on Avocato, idiot."

"I don't... know what crush you're referring to," Gary says, trying to play dumb. Quinn breaks into full on laughter.

"Oh my fucking god, Gary." Quinn pauses, trying to breathe between the laughs. "You can't focus on  _anything_. You spend ninety-nine percent of your time just looking at Avocato with this- this dopey look on your face," she says. "You're in love."

Gary decides, at this point, there's no reason to hide it. He slides down the wall, coming to a sitting position, and cups his face in his hands to hide the blushing. He finds it childish. "I'm in love," he says, muffled through his hands. Quinn laughs, sitting down across from Gary. 

"I won't tell him," she promises. "Hell, if he hasn't noticed by now, he's flat out ignoring the signs." There's a muffled groan from behind Gary's hands. He feels his face heating up even more.

"I don't wanna talk about this," he says, pulling his hands away from his face and using them to halfheartedly shoo Quinn away.

"Okay," Quinn says. "We don't have to talk about this." She stands, stopping in the doorway. "But if you ever need help, know that I am an  _excellent_ flirt." With that, she winks, and leaves Gary red-faced in the broom closet.


	13. Bad Luck

Little Cato is pretty sure he's bad luck. Not just because his dad died, though that is a huge factor in the thought. There's the fact that the Galaxy One's doors always get stuck when he tries to open them (which is why he's taken to traveling via the vents), and that he keeps dropping everything he holds because his hands won't stop shaking.

And now the ship he hijacked is kind of stuck because he crashed it into an asteroid. Accidentally. "Okay, don't panic," Little Cato breathes, trying to shove down all the emotions he's feeling, the most prominent one being panic. "Just gotta find the distress button. Yeah. Ships have those." He doesn't really know enough about ships to be certain. But he's confident.

Honestly, Little Cato's a little pissed. Because he wanted to get off that hellish ship, he's stuck in the middle of goddamned _nowhere,_ thanks to a bunch of dumb asteroids. 

He keeps searching the control board, hoping a button will jump out at him. None of them do, and some of them don't even make sense. What the hell does a laser cannon do? He doesn't really want to know.

"Distress. That says distress, right?" Little Cato points to a button, only to realize that he is, in fact, still alone on the ship. He sighs. Having Gary and Quinn and KVN and H.U.E. around all the time had gotten his used to communication, whether he wanted it or not. He didn't want it then. He kind of wants it now.

He presses the red button that (maybe) says distress. He still can't tell. The panic is setting in, and he can't really read through tears. 

Little Cato hates crying. He hates panic attacks. He hates not being able to handle a little issue without breaking down. He hates this stupid galaxy, and all the stupid people in it, and most of all he hates himself for crashing his stupid ship into a stupid asteroid. It's all so _stupid_.

He's having trouble breathing, and that could be because of the panic attack, or because the ship is leaking oxygen. Maybe a mix of the two. Probably a mix of the two.

Maybe it's just his bad luck. Maybe he's not unlucky, he just doesn't think. Truth be told, he really didn't mind the Galaxy One. It wasn't a horrible ship. Not really. And Gary and Quinn and H.U.E. were, he supposes, bearable.

There's a loud whirring from outside his tiny, broken ship. He almost falls over standing to see what's coming. 

Little Cato's never been this happy to see the Galaxy One in his life. The larger ship simply scoops his up and keeps going. He lands with a thunk back inside the launchpad. 

"Little Cato!" Gary and Quinn basically pull him out of the ship, Quinn checking him over for injuries. Once she figures that he's fine, her worry turns to stern anger. "I hope you've learned your lesson. Next time, we aren't coming to help you."

"Yes, we are," Gary quickly corrects her. "But she also has a point. No more running away."

"I wasn't  _running away_ ," Little Cato argues, but a glare from Gary makes him decide to just shut up. "Sorry," he mumbles.

Quinn exhales. "It's fine," she says. "I can't blame you for wanting to get off this garbage heap."

"Hey!" Gary exclaims. "It's  _my_ garbage heap! I'm insulted."

"I am also insulted, Quinn," H.U.E. chimes in.

Little Cato laughs. _They're bearable_ , he decides. _Definitely bearable_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is chapter 13. see what i did there?  
> please don't kill me.


End file.
